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Congress defeats amendment requiring their enrollment in public option
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Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC), center, with Rep. Phil Gingrey (R-Ga)., right, and Rep. Dean Heller (R-Nev)
Our representatives in Congress are very proud of the public option included in the health care reform bill that was passed Saturday night. For many, it was the defining aspect of the bill, and some went so far as to say that they would not vote for the bill if a public option was not included. Why then does the bill not require them to participate in the plan?
Section 330 of the bill states that members of Congress “may” enroll in the public option. Given all of the problems and concerns with private insurance expressed by Nancy Pelosi and her associates recently, one would think that they would jump at the chance to switch to the public option.
Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC) proposed an amendment that would automatically enroll all members of Congress in the public option if the Affordable Health Care for All Americans (H.R. 3962) is signed into law. The amendment was voted down on Friday. Discussing the amendment during a recent press conference, Joe Wilson asked, “If this government-run plan is so good, why don’t members of Congress take the plan?”
This amendment was one of more than 200 voted down in the days leading up to the passage of the bill, and was the second time an amendment requiring the enrollment of members of Congress in the public option was nixed, according to Rep. Howard McKeon (R-Calif.).
“Democrats voted down a similar amendment, 21-18, in the Ways and Means Committee during the July markup of HR 3200,” McKeon said. “It became apparent then that Democrats are afraid of being put on a government-run health care program, but that fear does not extend to the welfare of their own constituents.”
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